Diverse Nightmares
by FalconPain
Summary: Three Darkrais. Three different lives. When a spatial anomaly causes their lives to intertwine, they and their closest associates may reconsider what they truly want out of life. Alice, Cresselia, and Tobias featured.
1. Prologue

**Diverse Nightmares**

Like all disturbances in the fabric of space and time, this one was barely noticeable at first.

High above the mountain range of Coronet, a small rift began to spread. At its altitude, no human or Pokémon would have been able to spot it even if such anomalies were visible to the eye of the untrained viewer. Indeed, the only ones to notice were the two dragons that were known to hold reign over such natural forces.

The blue one arrived first. It moved in cautiously, aware of the potential danger that could ensue at any moment. After a moment, it visibly relaxed and began its investigation.

The faintly-pink dragon arrived shortly afterward. Seeing its sibling already present, it backed to a safe distance. The two had had… altercations in the past, and while this rivalry was unlikely to end in the near future, they had long since reached an agreement to allow each other to work unimpeded when faced with matters that warranted their presence.

It did not have to wait for long. The blue one finished quickly and moved away. While the disturbance had originally been of a temporal nature, it was evident to it that some form of spatial turbulence had rendered it stable in that regard. This was a job for Palkia alone.

After the other's departure, said dragon began its own investigation.

This was a particularly odd spatial anomaly. It continued to expand slowly, with no apparent acceleration to the effect. It spread in chaotic directions, guided by a few potential focus points, but clearly with no inherent intent. And yet the center was completely stable. It was as though something had created this rift intentionally, and then given up on it entirely once it had opened.

Even better, it was already correcting itself. There would be no need for direct intervention at all.

After a quick check to ensure that the fabric of space was once again stable, Palkia departed.

Unknown to it or to the other dragon, however, the damage had already been incurred.

* * *

On the eastern coast of the Sinnoh region, in the mechanically-advanced city of Sunyshore, in a trainer-reserved room of the local Pokémon Center, a young man was sleeping uneasily.

He thought he would have had more reason to relax. After all, his lengthy journey had just come to its end, and in a favorable manner. It had taken him a great deal of effort and sacrifice, though of a kind that was not readily apparent to the many onlookers he had met, but it had paid off in full.

He had just taken top honors in the Lily of the Valley Conference.

The hardest part, Tobias knew, was making it look easy. That was one of the central goals of this undertaking, and if not for that, he probably wouldn't have been granted such a unique opportunity.

Catching a Darkrai had actually been one of the easier steps for him. He had investigated the rumors of a wild one wandering a certain forest at night. He had assembled a team of five Pokémon, carefully selected from his collection based on such criteria as strength, type advantage against darkness, and most importantly the ability to counteract the inevitable attempt to put them to sleep. It also helped to have multiple Pokéballs, for this Pokémon was unlikely to come along quietly.

It was only after the legendary was in his possession that he had realized the extreme difficulty of the second step. After forcing a powerful and unpredictable creature into nonconsensual captivity, he had promptly nodded off to sleep and found himself unable to awaken for weeks.

It was amusing, he thought. So much had changed in the year or so since the two first met. During the nights before the conference, in fact, he had actually been so nervous about the possibility of tough competition that he had called upon Darkrai to _help_ him sleep. The Pokémon didn't seem to mind, and the lack of particularly horrifying nightmares had reassured Tobias almost as much as the sleep itself. Darkrai's self-control had improved greatly. Even if not for his success in the end, he would still have been proud of that.

As his thoughts continued to grow more positive and his slumber became more restful, the image of Darkrai appeared before him.

"Hey", he casually thought to his Pokémon. "What are you doing here tonight? I don't recall letting you out of…"

The Pokémon's single blue eye suddenly started glowing a bright red. Before Tobias could react, he dashed forward through the aether of the dreamscape and harshly gripped his trainer by the neck.

Tobias suddenly found himself unable to move, no matter how much he tried. His captor's eye continued to gaze at him maliciously. For the first time in a long while since he had developed his relationship with Darkrai, he was genuinely afraid of him again.

And as Darkrai's head moved closer to his body, he suddenly realized that this fear was exactly what Darkrai was hoping for…

* * *

Much further west, in the relative area of Oreburgh City, there was a town of ethnic ancestry known as Alamos.

The most prominent landmark in the town was a twin-towered structure with a bell-ringing mechanism, built to honor the very same two dragons mentioned earlier. In fact, the dragons had visited the town surprisingly recently, resulting in a certain... incident. However, everyone involved agreed that the worst had passed, everything had been properly fixed, and there would be no lingering hard feelings.

Less known to tourists, but still popular to the locals, was a beautiful and well-kept garden. Many humans and Pokémon were known to gather there and play with each other. There would occasionally be even more surprising guests.

"Alice!"

At the sound of her name, the town's resident tour guide turned and walked to the nearest window to gaze out from the building upon the nearby road, as well as the bespectacled man that stood upon it. "It's the middle of the night. What's going on?"

"…the garden…" Tonio stammered. "…he's back..."

"Darkrai?" Her voice was now excited. Indeed, a visit from the dark Pokémon was a fairly rare but welcome event for her. He had known her grandmother, it turned out, and while not everyone in the town was fond of him, he was known to spend time at the garden occasionally. To him, it seemed, it was a place where everyone could stay, put aside their differences, and…

"Not just that!" Tonio said frantically. "He's already taken down at least seven Pokémon!"

Her excitement dropped considerably, replaced by concern, as she hurried out the door to the side of her fiancé. "What? A fight broke out? Who started it?"

"Don't know... but he's definitely not trying to end it."

The two reached the edge of the garden as quickly as possible. While Tonio paused to catch his breath, Alice surveyed the damage as well as she could in the relative darkness.

It was as described earlier. A number of fainted Pokémon lay upon the grass, while those that were still conscious had backed away from the figure that floated between them. Darkrai remained silent, his arms raised in a fighting stance.

And he had heard Alice's arrival. He turned his head to gaze at her. His eye was… not angry, but not kind, either. With a single hand, he beckoned the human to come closer.

She moved toward him slowly. "What happened? What are you doing?" Her question was not as rhetorical as one would normally surmise; even past the tendency of most Pokémon to understand the words of humans, Darkrai had made an effort to learn to respond in kind. His vocabulary was very limited, Alice knew, but it had rarely stopped him from making his intents known. Eventually.

He didn't reply, though. His hand moved up in a "stop" gesture, and his eye shifted from direction to direction, examining her closely. After a few moments, he turned away from her and returned his attentions to the other Pokémon.

Alice frowned. "Aren't you going to listen to…"

"Okay, I'm here." The feminine voice had come from behind Alice. "Who needs the most help?"

The girl turned to see a nurse quickly walk past her, followed by a few concerned-looking citizens. With little hesitation, they began to inspect the fallen Pokémon. Darkrai didn't seem to mind; he merely levitated upward slightly and backed away from the group.

"This one's safe to move", one assistant called to the nurse. "He's unconscious and has a few blunt injuries, but it shouldn't compound anything."

"Unconscious?" Alice turned to look at Darkrai's position again. "Not asleep?"

The dark Pokémon was already heading away into the distance. He wasn't even doing his usual shadow stunt, she noticed.

"…what's with you?"

* * *

And even further west, on the western coast of the Sinnoh region, there was Canalave City.

Apart from the usual businesses found in a typical large Sinnoh city, it had its own share of landmarks. Chief among them was the canal that divided it into halves, which had once made the city useful for importing and exporting goods, but now was mostly relevant due to the ferry that made regular runs to nearby islands.

The Pokémon that was approaching the city from one of said islands had no need for the ferry. She levitated nearly effortlessly through the air in a manner comparable to that of a swan moving across the surface of a clear lake. Her brightly-colored body and odd shape were particularly striking to those that beheld her, especially considering that she rarely made appearances in the town itself.

If she did, it was usually because a certain other Pokémon was doing the same thing.

Darkrai turned slowly to face her, and his eye winced. (Cresselia), he simply stated in a raspy voice unintelligible to humans, (did you follow me?)

(You are not welcome here), she replied in a more melodic voice. (You know that.)

His eye lit up. (If you say so.) He took one more look around the city before speaking again. (Where am I, anyway?)


	2. One

In a corner booth of the Pokémon Center cafeteria, Tobias silently stared at the cup of coffee that had been brought to him a few minutes prior.

The liquid was pitch-black, yet it was impossible to see his reflection in it. It moved slightly with the slight fluctuations in the air, making it seem formless and pliable, yet always returning to its original shape at the bottom of the cup. From his first sip of the drink, he could tell that it was incredibly strong, and intentionally made that way. He knew that it occurred naturally in a weaker state, though in areas that he had yet to visit, but its true strength and flavor was brought out by people with experience in converting it into its current form.

After a moment of thought, he added a small amount of cream to the beverage. It rested on top for a while, an equally amorphous white form that contrasted neatly with the usual blackness. In his opinion, it added greatly to the concoction. A touch of sweetness to counteract the dark bitterness beneath it, and also making it somehow more comfortable to look at or…

Tobias promptly stirred the cream into the coffee, resulting in a well-blended brown liquid that symbolized absolutely nothing.

"Excuse me, Mr. Champion?"

He looked up slowly. A brunette woman in a smart-looking outfit was looking down at him. She was backed by a well-built man with a video camera on his shoulder and a stouter man struggling to carry a boom microphone. "This is Rhonda from _Sinnoh Now!_ Do you mind if we ask you a few questions?"

Tobias returned his attention to his coffee. "I'm not the champion. You should chase down Cynthia."

"Thinking of Cynthia, then?" the woman answered without missing a beat. "In the wake of your victory, everyone's saying that the next logical step is to go after the Elite Four." She turned toward the camera briefly. "According to our latest poll results, over 70% of our viewers think you should have no trouble defeating her. Your thoughts?"

He shook his head in contempt. "You are already filming, aren't you?"

Rhonda's voice lowered to a forceful hiss under her breath. "Do this right! Play to the camera more! This is your big mo…"

"Of course, I already have my eyes set on the Elite Four", he spoke loudly as he turned his attention to the camera. "But if they are truly as skilled as their reputation says, they will have kept their eyes on me as well."

The woman quickly tried to recover her news face. "It's interesting to hear such humility from someone whose sheer battle dominance has caught the region's attention."

"Their lowest ranking member is a master of insects. Someone with his specialty must have worked hard to keep his position. Even then, that is only the first step."

"That's a good point", she agreed. "Sending a dark-type against bugs isn't a wise strategy, is it?" She shrugged. "Still, if your Darkrai made short work of a Heracross, which is basically everything that darks fear…"

Tobias frowned slightly, but tapped his finger against his temple knowingly. "Which is precisely why a psychic move is vital. At the very least, it keeps the fighters in check."

"Interesting. Then there's the question of what happens if they are immune to being put to sleep…"

"Darkrai is _not_ my only Pokémon!" he suddenly exclaimed.

Rhonda seemed flustered for a second at his outburst, but only a second. "Of course he isn't. I can tell you, we were all surprised when we saw your Latios clean up after…"

"I had the full allotment of six Pokémon recommended for anyone in the conference and was prepared to use any of them at a moment's notice", he interrupted quickly. "It is very likely that most of them will see use against the Elite Four when the time comes so that they cannot simply prepare for my hardest hitters." He looked down at his coffee again. "That's everything you want to know. Turn off the camera."

She blinked at him briefly, and then turned back to the camera with a forced smile. "You heard it here on _Sinnoh Now!_, folks! The conference champion has a team and a plan for the Elite Four! Stay tuned for further developments!"

The camera's red light went off.

Rhonda sighed loudly. "Well, that's a wrap. Next time, let's get a place with better lighting. Dark corners are for gloom and doom stories, not up-and-coming celebrities, got it? Jack, nice job keeping that up the whole time. For once. And you, Mr. Sunshine, you could try to be a little enthusiastic, okay?"

As everyone prepared to move their equipment out, Tobias raised his voice again. "I would like to ask _you_ something."

She glanced back at him. "The feed's off."

"Exactly. I want this off the record."

She grumbled quietly while scratching her hair. "I _hate_ those words." She tried to look friendly again. "What is it?"

"Just what _is _the public opinion of Darkrai?"

Rhonda smiled slightly. "Well, for ratings, the opinion's been great. 'The undefeated black beast, taking on all challengers and showing no signs of weakness! Can anyone bring this thing down?' I couldn't ask for a better angle."

Tobias nodded slowly. "Someone brought him down."

"The Kanto boy and his Sceptile, right? That would've been a great follow-up. 'Sceptile the Giant Slayer'. Too bad the kid skipped town before I could get an interview."

"That style of story draws the audiences, I suppose." He took a sip of his coffee. "How do you suppose the giant feels about it?"

She thought briefly. "In the stories, it's usually slain. In situations like this… I guess if I were it, I'd just keep doing the best I can."

"But he can never regain that same aura of foreboding."

"First impressions die all the time." She looked at him curiously. "What's this about? Is your Darkrai not handling defeat well?"

Tobias took a larger drink. "I never bothered to ask." His eyes became more serious. "I will not make that mistake again. I will figure out where he went, and I will ask him how he's feeling, and I will know once and for all why he did what he did!" With no further hesitation, he stood up from the booth and headed for the exit.

Rhonda had a sudden flash of realization. "You _lost your Darkrai?_" She smiled knowingly to herself. This would make for the perfect…

He glanced behind himself one last time on the way out. "Off the record."

She fumed. "I _really_ hate those words."

* * *

By the time Alice caught up with Darkrai, he had apparently decided to follow everyone else to the Pokémon Center.

She opted not to enter the building. For one thing, most of the chairs were already filled by people who had more reason to be there, and several others were waiting outside as well. For another, she could tell by looking through the windows that the atmosphere inside the building was particularly tense. As the people inside waited for good news, they would occasionally look up at Darkrai, who floated silently to the side of the door with his arms crossed.

It was hard for her to get an idea of what everyone was thinking. Yes, their Pokémon were hurt, and it was this Pokémon's fault. But at the same time, this Pokémon had done a great deal to save their city. Not only that, but any attempt to force the issue had the potential to set him off again, and he was capable of causing a great deal of damage.

The nurse called out something inaudible. A woman stood, walked over to the counter and received a Pokéball. The nurse gave her a comforting smile. The woman turned for the door, giving an evil eye to the dark Pokémon as she passed him. The Pokémon responded with a simple nod as she left the premises.

Alice's earlier question remained unanswered, and everyone else was probably wondering the same thing. What had Darkrai been thinking?

"He's showing off."

The voice had been sudden. She spun around in surprise to find a regally-dressed man with reddish hair staring at her intently.

"Oh, great", another man grumbled under his breath. "Alberto's here."

The new arrival gave him a sidelong glance. "That's _Baron_ Alberto to you." He returned his attention to the window and the dark Pokémon beyond it. "It's obvious what he's trying to do."

Alice sighed to herself. The so-called Baron had never been kind to Darkrai in the past, and had only been slightly less annoying to her and Tonio. Simply put, even if she actually tried to put up with him, she would never consider him a reliable judge of character.

"You see it, don't you?" Alberto tried again, this time targeting his comment directly at her. "The so-called legendary Pokémon. He tried to save our town. He tried to stand up to Dialga and Palkia. But he couldn't stop them. He lost badly." His eyes lit up. "And now he shows up again. He challenges everyone to a fight. Why? Only one reason comes to mind. He wants his respect back."

She glared at him. "He's not like that! He doesn't care if you like him or not!"

"I don't know", another member of the peanut gallery said. "The Baron definitely knows a thing or two about ego."

Alberto's expression flickered, as if he didn't know if he was being complimented or insulted. It became steady again a second later. "This is his message to us. He doesn't want them to be seriously hurt. That's why he's in there making sure they're all okay. But he wants us to remember what he did. He's here. He's not leaving. And he's making sure we know that he can beat every single one of us in a fight."

Alice hesitated for a moment. His argument almost made sense. Except…

She didn't back down. "Maybe some Pokémon are like that. But not him."

"Take it from me." The Baron was starting to smile again. "There is always someone worth impressing."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You don't see that, either? The way he looks at you? The way he tried to protect you? If he had his way, I'm sure he'd want you to break up with that wimp you're always with and get together with _him_."

She shook her head in disbelief. "That's ridiculous! You're just projecting your own feelings onto…"

Another person walked away from the building and between them, holding a Pokéball. Alice realized that everyone around them had gone quiet. Even Alberto, who she knew would never shut up under his own power.

She turned around slowly to see that the door to the Pokémon Center was still open. And Darkrai was floating right behind it, staring at them.

After a moment, she recovered from her surprise. "Tell him he's wrong! You're not trying to impress me, are you?"

The Pokémon stared at her quietly. After a moment, he tilted his head to one side in confusion, turned around and went back into the building. The door closed behind him.

"…awkward…" one of the other trainers said in a sing-song voice.

Alice fumed to herself. Alberto was wrong. She knew it. Darkrai didn't care about things like romance or fame. He had never wanted anything more than a place where he would be accepted and could find happiness.

…right?

* * *

(You are telling me), Cresselia summarized aloud, (that you are not the Darkrai I know.)

(In short), the dark Pokémon replied. (I've never seen this place before in my life.)

(And we have existed here for many years), she finished. (You are not attempting to trick me, are you?)

(I can't think of a reason why I'd want to), he answered. (Would he have one?)

She glanced across the shape of the city, and then turned to look across the water behind her. (You are the only Darkrai in the immediate vicinity. With this in mind, a far more important question is where _he_ went.)

Darkrai was lost for a moment in thought. (A disturbance in space-time…)

Cresselia blinked. She had absolutely no idea how to respond to that. (What is that?)

(Imagine the fabric of existence), he began slowly. (Imagine that everything that happens, whenever or wherever it does, can be found upon…)

(I have absolutely _no_ idea what you are talking about.) And neither would the Darkrai she knew, she thought. (Remain simple.)

This Darkrai sighed. (A magic hole probably spit me out here. And it probably swallowed up your friend at the same time.)

(What? Where is he?)

(I don't know.) He floated back and forth in thought. (Maybe he's back where I belong. Maybe… he's somewhere else. Or in another time. Or even worse.)

(No.) She levitated directly in front of him. (This cannot be allowed to happen. Tell me everything you know about how this situation can be rectified.)

Darkrai raised a large claw to the side of his head and scratched it lightly. (These kinds of holes don't close up too quickly by themselves. Not unless someone forced it closed.) His eye lit up. (Let's try that. If we can find any kind of open rift, we can probably figure out how to use it to make things right.)

Cresselia nodded slowly for a moment. Then she stopped. (What is such a rift? What does it look like? How will we be able to find it?)

(Don't worry about that. Leave it to me.) To her eyes, Darkrai was looking particularly knowledgeable. (I've dealt with these things before.)

* * *

A small crowd had prominently gathered at one of the local residences a few blocks away from the Pokémon Center. The central focus, as far as Tobias could tell, was the middle-aged couple standing impatiently yet nervously in front of their open door, the man's arm wrapped around the shoulder of the woman in a comforting manner.

A nurse hurried toward them from the direction of the Center. "I got through to Canalave", she said to the pair, although audibly enough for him to hear. "If everything goes well, she'll be here to help as soon as she can."

A lump formed in his gut. Nevertheless, he approached cautiously. "Canalave City? Would you be referring to the legend of Cresselia, by any chance?"

"That's right", the nurse replied. "Considering what we're up against, she might…"

"It's horrible!" the woman wailed. "Our little boy's shaking like a rattle in there, and no matter what we try, he won't wake up!" Her eyes grew fierce. "It has to be… that thing!"

"…hey, wait a minute", one of the nearby bystanders piped up. "You're that guy! Didn't I see you win that tournament recently? You know, you used the…"

"May I take a look at him?" Tobias interrupted immediately, eyeing whom he assumed to be the boy's father. "Canalave is quite a distance from here."

The man peered at him suspiciously. "You think you can help?"

Tobias swallowed. "Unfortunately… I think I might."

He was quickly escorted by the couple up a flight of stairs and into a room with an occupied bed. It was hard to get a good look at the patient, as he was heavily wrapped in a blanket, but his nervous shaking was obvious.

"…please… don't…" the boy mumbled. "…don't let him…"

It had been as Tobias feared. Worse, he considered, he very well could have been indirectly responsible for this. He knew he had to at least try to do something, but he had absolutely no idea if anything he could do would help.

In that case, he thought, go with what feels right. He knelt down next to the bed. "Can you hear me?"

"We've been trying to wake him for hours", the woman explained. "I don't think he'll respond to any…"

Tobias turned his head slightly to face her and raised a finger to his lips. The woman immediately went silent. Once again, he turned to face the child. "Not the boy. The one inside. Can you hear me? Darkrai?"

There was no immediate response. He sighed briefly and took a deep breath. "I am sorry. I never asked you how you felt."

The shaking slowed, and eventually came to a stop. Even the boy's mumbling had ceased, leaving nothing but deep gasps for breath.

That would not be enough. He decided to continue. "I understand what you are. You know I do. You thrive on fear. I can understand that. But you don't need to do this."

There was a brief, silent pause. The boy began to shake slightly again. The trainer flinched in surprise, but attempted to regain his composure.

"…okay. I understand." He tried to sound friendlier. "You don't want me to tell you what you can and can't do. I realize…" He breathed deeply again. "You've been in this arrangement for a while. I think you benefited. So did I. And I know… things can't stay like this forever."

The shaking had stopped again. On close inspection, Tobias could vaguely see a bluish glow from the child's body.

He nodded. "There are probably things that you would rather do. And you… you think you're just being kept away from them, correct?" He frowned. His hand slipped down to the side of his belt. "If that is how you feel, then _please,_ let me know. If you want to be free again… I will not stop you."

The room became silent again. Tobias turned to look at the parents again. Their eyes were fixed intently on him and their child, but the emotion was difficult to tell. He wished there was an easier way to know if they were currently blaming him for their predicament.

Suddenly, Darkrai was in the room.

The mother immediately moved to the child's side to check on him. The father immediately moved to between him and the Pokémon in the room. The trainer, however, kept his attention firmly on the trainee.

He stared at Tobias with what could only be a questioning look. Tobias attempted a warm smile in his direction. After a bit of time, the dark one nodded in what he could assume was affirmation.

So that was how he wanted it, the trainer decided. He pulled the Pokéball free from his belt, held it out for Darkrai, and…

…wait a minute. The Pokéball was still firmly closed. While it seemed slightly lighter in his hand, it still seemed to think that it was holding its inhabitant.

"…how did you get out, anyway?" Tobias muttered to himself. He tried holding it toward the Darkrai. Absolutely nothing happened.

Darkrai moved toward him now, placing a claw upon his shoulder briefly. But it was only briefly, as it quickly moved past him and passed through the side of the building, leaving only human inhabitants.

"…mommy…"

The child had embraced his mother, and she had responded in kind. The father gave a sigh of relief as he turned toward his current guest. "I dunno what that was about", he admitted, "but you did wonders for my boy. Thank you, Mr…?"

Tobias continued to stare at the Pokéball. "…he… wasn't even my…" He suddenly realized that someone was asking him a question. "…glad to be of service, sir. And madam." He turned quickly. "I have to go. Something has happened."

With no further hesitation, he left the premises, pausing only to let the people outside know that the situation had been resolved. At least, theirs had been. They were certainly grateful for the news, but he couldn't stop to acknowledge that at the time.

That Darkrai hadn't been his. But if that was the case… there was more than one Darkrai? How had it ended up here? How had he managed to talk it into leaving its host? Had he just become that skillful with Darkrai relationships, or had it noticed a familiar scent on him…

Most importantly, _where was his?_

* * *

Cresselia had been nowhere near her island at the time the call was made to Canalave. She was still in the middle of escorting the unfamiliar Darkrai as they flew to the east. What was their planned destination? She didn't know. Perhaps he didn't, either, but he seemed to know what he was looking for.

Eventually he stopped, as did she.

As far as she could tell, they had stopped for no reason whatsoever. She knew that they were somewhere above the Coronet mountain range, but there were no nearby landmarks.

Darkrai stared into space for about half a minute before one of his claws clenched into fist. (It's closed.)

(This is where your hole in space is located?) Cresselia asked. (Why here?)

(How should I know?) he snapped. (It doesn't even matter now! It's too late!) He shook his head. (There's no way I can use it again.)

(You… say it is closed), she pondered aloud. (You did not say it is gone. Perhaps all you need is a way to open it.)

The dark Pokémon turned and stared at her in silence. After an uncomfortable pause, his eye shifted slightly. (Let's make sure. You remember why I'm doing this?)

(Of course. You are str…)

(Good), he interrupted. (Keep it in mind.) In a quick motion, he spun around and grasped forward with both of his claws. Cresselia wasn't sure exactly what… no. It was starting to become apparent. As he continued to pull his claws away from each other, the empty space appeared to bend and fluctuate in odd ways. And then it spread apart, much like a set of curtains, revealing a gaping hole. Through the hole, she could barely make out a dark expanse the likes of which she'd never…

(**STOP. NOW.**)

Darkrai's body seemed to ripple at the sound of the voice. His claws were no longer moving, but they retained their grip upon… he had called it the fabric of existence? He quietly sighed. (What's the problem, sir?)

Cresselia could barely bring herself to move, especially after the other Pokémon's response. She had not heard that voice before, but it somehow resonated with her, telling her that she needed to listen to it immediately and respect its owner.

Shortly afterward, her instinct was proven correct, as the voice's owner revealed itself to be a massive floating bipedal dragon, and one whose appearance she was only familiar with via the occasional statue. (P… Palkia…) she whispered under her breath.

(THE PROBLEM? YOU ARE RIPPING A HOLE IN THE FABRIC OF SPACE!)

The dark Pokémon sighed loudly, and probably more loudly than he needed to. (Of course… yes, I know that's what it looks like…) Odd, she thought. He had chosen to trail off pretty obviously, despite a lack of interruption.

And now his eye was on her, and he seemed to be impatient.

She swallowed. (…y… yes. Lord Palkia… are you a lord?... what you seem to think that he is doing… is not what he is attempting to do… at all.)

The newcomer's long neck craned to the side to allow him to eye her closely. (AM I MISTAKEN? WHO WOULD YOU BE?)

(C… Cress… elia…)

(I HAVE NOT SEEN ONE SUCH AS YOU. WHY ARE YOU HERE?)

(It is most correct to say…) She paused, thinking of how to best put this. (…that my task is to keep Darkrai out of trouble.) Wait. That could be misinterpreted in this situation. (I refer to a different Darkrai. This one is innocent.)

(INNOCENT OF WHAT?)

(He says… that there exists a hole in the air that ate my Darkrai and spit him out. And he wishes to go back in it… and perhaps my Darkrai may come back out again?)

(Oh, you've got to be kidding me!) Darkrai sputtered angrily. (Don't you know anything about Palkia? The protector of space? The physical construct that holds the world we live in? It doesn't work that way!)

Palkia's attention was on him again. (SHE MAY NOT KNOW. BUT YOU STILL KNOW MORE THAN YOU SHOULD.)

He crossed his arms, visibly refusing to be intimidated. (I don't have to explain myself to you.)

Cresselia shook her head to herself. If this was his attempt to _not_ get on the far more powerful Pokémon's bad side, he was doing a particularly poor job of it. (I believe that it is best to calm…)

(YES. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN.) The dragon's head shifted slightly in her direction. (DO NOT WORRY. HE HAS NO REASON TO LIKE ME.)

(That's right), Darkrai agreed. Though, judging by the dark Pokémon's eye, Cresselia would say that he didn't want to believe it himself. (So if you'll just let me finish…)

(**NO. **THE RIFT IS GONE. IT WILL NOT RETURN.) And with a quick motion of the dragon's right claw, the edges of the odd hole promptly snapped back together and seemingly faded into nothing, leaving the empty air that belonged there.

(If that is your decision), Cresselia started again, slightly more comfortably now, (then I do not see how he or my Darkrai will be able to return to their homes.)

(HIS TROUBLE IS EASY TO FIX. I KNOW WHERE HE LIVES.)

(You…) Darkrai muttered before regaining his composure. (Yes. He's the same Palkia I knew, I guess. Which means I haven't hopped dimensions, so… your Darkrai must be around somewhere in this world, too?)

She sighed. (This remains a large world. I can only imagine the amount of trouble that he can cause before I will find him.)

(But… didn't you say you can sense Darkrais?)

(I am able to do so if he is within a certain distance. He has traveled too far.)

Darkrai put a claw up to the reddish fabric that surrounded his neck. (That's a problem, isn't it?)

(IT IS DECIDED. YOU WILL HELP ME AND I WILL HELP YOU.)

Cresselia spun to face Palkia in surprise. (What do you refer to as help?)

(AT LEAST TWO DARKRAIS HAVE BEEN DISPLACED IN SPACE. THERE MAY BE OTHERS.) In a quick motion, one of the dragon's arms lashed forward and grasped her. The other seized Darkrai equally easily. (TO BE CERTAIN, I MUST INVESTIGATE THEM ALL. IT IS A LENGTHY SEARCH. BUT YOU SAY YOU CAN LOCATE THEM EASILY.)

(Good plan), Darkrai mumbled in an appreciative tone.

Cresselia would have physically reacted, but Palkia's grip remained firm. (You have not listened to me. The distance between me and any other Darkrai is too great.)

The dragon blinked once. (DISTANCE MEANS NOTHING TO ME.) To punctuate its statement, a large hole opened in the sky, and Palkia headed toward it immediately, forcibly bringing the other two Pokémon with it.

(Seriously), Darkrai said impatiently. (Learn a thing or two about space.)

* * *

After a couple of hours, the Pokémon Center was almost completely empty. The only remaining inhabitants were the staff, Alice and Darkrai.

Darkrai didn't show any signs of going anywhere, either. It simply stood at the window, gazing outside the building with a slightly impatient look in its eye.

"Are you waiting for someone?"

The Pokémon's head turned slightly to face her, nodded once, and then returned to the window.

She pondered this for a moment. Who would he be waiting for? Normally he'd just be staying in the garden, or possibly moving about. While she would like to think that he would go looking for her, most of the time he simply showed up, and she would soon come to him.

…unless… maybe there was a reason he returned now? And it would explain what he had been doing?

"Don't you think maybe you should go out and look?"

The Pokémon shook his head slowly.

"But… do you really think that whoever it is would go looking for you at a Pokémon Center?"

His response was a nod. This conversation itself was an oddity to Alice. Not simply because it hadn't been making any effort to speak, but also because it somehow felt… _more _natural than usual. Sometime since his last appearance, he had seemingly grown far more comfortable in the presence of others. Even after those battles, he had no problem waiting alongside the people who needed their Pokémon healed.

And, she suddenly realized, she didn't want the conversation to end just yet. "Are you sure?"

Darkrai turned to face her. With a slow motion that was probably intended to not provoke alarm, he extended his claw toward her waist and tapped it lightly.

She looked down at the Pokéball that she kept with her at all times. "What does Chimchar have to do with this?"

Another headshake.

"Then what? The Pokéball?"

His eye seemingly lit up as he nodded, and then gestured to himself before pointing at the Pokéball again.

"You… want me to catch you?"

An _immediate_ headshake.

"So what are you trying to tell me? You're… wait." This was starting to come together. "You're waiting in a Pokémon Center for someone… because you've _already_ been…"

The door opened. Darkrai's eye lit up as he turned to look, only to immediately become disappointed when it saw the new arrival.

Alice's reaction was not the same. "Tonio! What are you doing here so soon?"

Her fiancé looked at her with a surprised look. "So soon? I haven't seen you in hours! Have you been here the whole time?" He looked at the room's other inhabitant. "With Darkrai?"

The Darkrai's attention drifted back to the window, not deigning to give a response. Alice noticed, and decided to come to the conclusion that was slowly becoming more obvious. "I'm starting to think that this isn't our Darkrai."

The man adjusted his glasses slightly as he looked at the Pokémon. "He isn't? You mean to say there's more than one?" He had a certain look in his eye now, one that Alice recognized whenever he was doing research. "In that case… why do you suppose he came here? Is it possible that he found evidence of another Darkrai's presence? In fact, are we sure this is a he? Or our Darkrai, for that matter?"

"Um… you're rambling…"

"Just think about it! If we were to find our Darkrai and bring them together, we could find out so much more about them! How they behave together! How they communicate! Do you think they speak normally, or perhaps they incorporate nightmares into…"

"What's with you? Have you slept at all since last night?"

His expression became slightly pained. "No, I would never do that… not until I knew you had gotten home safely first…"

And suddenly she realized that _she_ hadn't slept at all since this Darkrai had appeared. And judging by how much light had been outside the window, the sun was already high in the sky. She must have lost track of time in the excitement.

"…we should leave him and get back home", she admitted quietly. "He says he's waiting for someone. Possibly a trainer."

Tonio raised an eyebrow. "A _trained_ Darkrai? You're sure?"

In an instant, the Darkrai recoiled away from the window, accidentally bumping into the scientist along the way. It wasn't hard enough to knock him down, but the motion had definitely startled him. He looked around quickly. "What just happened?"

And then his gaze returned to the window, where Darkrai and Alice's gazes were already firmly affixed at the large dragon head that was now looking into the building.

* * *

It took Palkia and Cresselia only a few minutes.

From the bizarre vantage point she had been granted, she was able to determine that the relevant group contained a total of three known Darkrais. Palkia moved quickly to each, and even confirmed that one location belonged to the one about whom he had previously known.

Perhaps it was not as elegant as an inverted rift in space, but the brute force method had proven to be more than sufficient for the task. Using the visible clues, each Darkrai was identified with their original starting point and returned there. Finally Cresselia was released from his grasp and permitted to return to Fullmoon Island, where she was promptly annoyed to discover how long into the day she had remained awake.

She had things to worry about, but she could afford to rest first. He was just as nocturnal, after all.

Indeed, all of the Darkrais had new things on their minds now, as did everyone else who had been involved…

* * *

"He's coming to!"

The Pokémon slowly opened his eye to see a multitude of faces gazing down upon him. All of which belonged to Pokémon, he quickly ascertained.

(…where am I...?) he asked wearily. (Is this the garden…?)


End file.
